Memo Outline

 

——————–In your Week 5 discussion question, you identified and addressed a public relations crisis that an organization faced. In this assignment, using that same crisis, you will turn your attention to crafting an internal communication in the form of a memo to be shared by email.

You will write your memo from the perspective of a leader within that company. The memo will be addressed to your team members and will communicate information about the crisis and your response. Your assignment will be composed of two parts: (1) an outline of your key points and communication strategy and (2) the actual memo.

Instructions

Part 1: Memo Outline

Create an outline of your memo in which you summarize four communication objectives and your strategy to achieve each of those objectives. Think of this as your “game plan.” This outline should be no more than one page in length. You may use bullets and sentence fragments if you like. The outline’s purpose is to help you organize your messaging and create a roadmap for the final version of the memo. Your outline should address the following:

1. The Nature of the Crisis

What are the 2-3 most critical points that must be presented in the memo to accurately summarize the nature of the crisis without going into non-essential details?

Why are you focusing on these points?

2. The Factors That Led to the Crisis

What key circumstances – decisions, mistakes, timelines, personnel, and/or departments caused the crisis?

Why are you focusing on these?

3. The Impact on Stakeholders (both Internal and External)

  1. What are the most important adverse outcomes you want to highlight in your memo?
  2. Why are you focusing on these?

Are there any outcomes you do NOT want to include in the memo? Why?

4. The Plan to Resolve the Crisis

What are the critical next steps to get through the crisis?

Who will own these steps, and what are the timelines?

  1. What do you need from your team?
  2. Why are you focusing on these actions?

Part 2: Memo

Create a 1- to 2- page internal memo to be sent to your team members via email based on your outline. Make sure you cover the following:

The nature of the crisis

The factors that led to the crisis

  1. The impact on stakeholders
  2. The plan, including how the company – and you – are responding to the situation, and the steps your team members should take, including what, if anything, they need to do differently
  3. Submission Requirements

Your memo should be typed, double-spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs, using a professional font (size 10-12).

Your memo should include headings and subheadings to identify main topics and subtopics with one-inch margins on all sides.

Your submission should include a Cover page containing the assignment’s title, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date.

Application of course material or other resources is needed. References and in-text citations must be included and provide appropriate information that enables the reader to locate the original source. Use the Writing Standards Guide in the Course Documents to guide you in formatting your citations.

  1. The length of 2 to 3 pages does not include your Cover page or References page.
  2. Begin your 1- to 2- page internal memo with the following headings aligned to the left:
  3. TO: Fill in your team’s name (e.g., Sales Department, Accounting Team)
  4. FROM: Fill in your name

DATE: Fill in the due date

RE: Insert an appropriate subject line

—————————————————Crisis Communication

The article I chose from the Wall Street Journal was about what banning TikTok in the U.S. would look like.  After years of attempts to ban the Chinese-owned app, including by former President Donald Trump, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is coming to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, possibly an additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn’t, TikTok will be banned. 

The communication used to address the tactics was The bill that Biden signed, which gives TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, 270 days to sell TikTok. Failure to do so would have significant consequences: TikTok would be prohibited from US app stores and “internet hosting services” supporting it. The organization’s crisis communication plan is effective to the extent of it being a governmental law that can only be reversed or revoked by the President of the U.S. This isn’t something that could be overturned in any other way for the company that oversees the app. 

  1. The issue facing TikTok is the signing of legislation in the US that would force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its stake in 12 months or have the application banned in the country.
  2. The company used different communication approaches;
  3. Launching public campaigns illustrating the app’s positive effects, insisting on user-generated content and the platform’s monetary aspects to influence public opinion and get support.
  4. It also openly communicated about the issue, showing its compliance with regulations and readiness to work with authorities to show it is transparent.

The company also engaged with government officials, highlighting the platform’s significance in people’s lives and how it manages data security (Williams & Center, 2020). It may also have communicated with users to address the concerns and offer updates on the situation.

Transparency and authenticity are vital in facilitating trust during crisis communication. The application illustrates the positive impacts of using the app and its efforts to manage data security as a practical crisis communication approach. However, there are various factors to be considered to determine its effectiveness. There are legal considerations, the government’s response, and public perception. In 12 months, it will be easier to know if the approach worked.

If I were a senior leader in the organization, additional approaches I may consider include prioritizing direct engagement with regulators to address concerns. Also, due to the worries about data security, the emphasis would be on the app’s strong measures to safeguard user data and provide assurances of data privacy. While focusing on the US market is essential, expanding to other regions could reduce risks connected with regulatory challenges in one market. I would also use legal strategies to manage the regulatory challenges without affecting the application’s integrity. 

  • If I were the senior leader of the free world in this situation. Before submitting the ban, I would have requested a congressional meeting with China and the company that oversees the company to discuss the cyber security measures and requested that the U.S. have complete security and I.T. access to all TikTok accounts and system portals and VPN to check for data breaches and security violations. Once that access was received and if it delivered the information that the U.S. already anticipated that it would, that is when I would issue the ban requesting the sale of the company to a private entity that can be monitored by a government affiliate or face being banned for life by the U.S. due to security breaches. 
  • Users will likely migrate to another platform — such as Instagram or YouTube, which goes on to explain Jack and Warren’s guidance for dealing with crisis. The importance of communication, being yourself, remaining authentic, and showing the true version of yourself in every way you choose to communicate could make all the difference in the outcome you may receive. The mantra is, ” It costs nothing to be yourself.” 
  • Jack’s and Warren’s guidance for dealing with crises. In dealing with any crisis, You have to be big, you have to be positive, and you can’t be paralyzed by it. Warren Buffet’s advice was to ” Get it right, Get it out, Get it fast, Get it over, and never put it off.” it is important to communicate.
  • Lawmakers and some administration officials have also expressed concerns that China could – potentially – direct or influence ByteDance to suppress or boost TikTok content favorable to its interests. For its part, TikTok has denied assertions that it could be used as a tool of the Chinese government. The company has also said it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities and won’t do so if it’s asked. This is a poor example of Jack’s and Warren’s advice regarding dealing with this crisis. I would comply with the request from the U.S. to confirm what is being advised and continue the relationship and services provided if there isn’t anything questionable behind the app.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated 9:51 AM CDT, April 24, 2024 https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-divestment-ban-what-you-need-to-know-5e1ff786e89da10a1b799241ae025406Links to an external site.

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